Bent frame - sell, repair, adapt, live with?

[Ugo51]

I'd cold set it if you want to run eight speeds. It's quite straightforward.

I've only cold set another frame before, from 122 to 126, and it was straightforward. I used the screw method and it opened evenly, 2mm on one side, 2mm on the other.

When I tried cold setting the Orbit frame, the right chainstay gives way more easily than the left, and the results becomes asymmetric.

I have cold set an old Orbit from 126 to 130mm and it's been fine. Alternatively, you could build a wheel on a 7 speed hub with 126mm OLD. Use a 9 speed cassette and lose a sprocket, usually the smallest, and you will have 8 speeds. Quite a common hack.

Did you use a lever to open up each side independently from the other?

 

[winjohn]

The 4x2 method is quite useful. If you watch the Paul Brodie videos you can see how much he pulls his frames around. I guess he know what he is doing. Steel frames can be pulled around quite a lot in a way that aluminium frames cannot.

 

[Spinner]

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

I think it is best to open up each side independently. I improvised a tool to adjust the drop out alignment but got the lbs to do a final tweak.

 

[pigman]

I'm going throw a bit of a spanner into the workings. Weren't some touring frames designed asymmetrically? To allow less wheel dish and hence a stronger rear wheel. And as Orbit were a smaller factory with a speciality being touring frames, maybe it was them

 

[Blacktopdisciple]

I think Pigman may be correct here. I seem to remember Orbits being built with an offset rear triangle. The idea being to reduce rear wheel dish.

 

[Ugo51]

You make a good point.
I had checked the frame when I bought it (not well enough it seems) and looked like it was symmetrical. Not all Orbit frames were asymmetrical and as far as I understand, only the proper touring ones (those that had canti brakes) had asymmetrical rear triangle.

Of course it could easily be that this frame was asymmetrical too and that someone had already tried to symmetrize it. But it would have been more than 124mm spacing if someone had messed around with it already...